The Sea Around Us

By Rachel Carson and Rachel L. Carson

Book Overview

Published in 1951, The Sea Around Us was a phenomenal success. Rachel Carson's rare ability to combine scientific insight with moving, poetic prose catapulted her book to first place on The New York Times bestseller list, where it remained on top for thirty-one consecutive weeks. It stayed on the list for more than a year and a half and ultimately sold well over a million copies, has been translated into 28 languages, inspired an Academy Award-winning documentary, and won both the 1952 National Book Award and the John Burroughs Medal.
This commemorative edition has over 130 beautiful, full color illustrations from all over the world--everything from breaching whales, Christmas Tree worms and phosphorescent shrimp, to fur seals, flashlight fish, and giant squid. The volume features a foreword by Carl Safina, a founder of the Blue Ocean Institute; an introduction by explorer Robert D. Ballard, renowned for his role in finding the Titanic as well as for his discovery of life around deep-sea hydrothermal vents; and an afterword by Brian J. Skinner, an eminent geologist and former president of the Geological Society of America.
The book itself remains as fresh today as when it first appeared. Carson's writing teems with stunning, memorable images--the newly formed Earth cooling beneath an endlessly overcast sky; the centuries of nonstop rain that created the oceans; incredibly powerful tides moving 100 billion tons of water daily in the Bay of Fundy. Quite simply, she captures the mystery and allure of the ocean with a compelling blend of imagination and expertise.
For anyone who loves to wander the shore, sail the ocean, or ponder what lies beneath the waves, this illustrated special edition of The Sea Around Us will make a perfect gift.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0195147014
• ISBN13: 9780195147018
• Release Date: November 2003
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
• Length: 274 Pages
• Weight: 2.95 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 8.2" x 10.1"

Customer Reviews

The Sea Around Us

Rachel's enlightenment is truly seen in this new edition of "The Sea Around Us." The earth is covered in water; the human body contains a large percentage of h20; and most species on the planet cannot survive without it. Thus, the sea is truly everywhere around us. This book is highly recommended for readers of "Silent Spring" and those interested in writings about the natural world. This text in particular may be more suitable than the (1999) prior edition as the photographs herein color the author's thoughts in a delightful way.

wonderful work by R. Carson

Rachel Carson's work is still a great place to get insights on the workings of the ocean. Even with the advancement of oceanography and marine biology, the ocean is still a source of wonder and mystery, and still in need of our protection from abuse. Vast as the oceans are, their ecosystems can still be altered by human activity.

Required reading for anyone who loves the beach

It is difficult to believe that this book is over 50 years old. The recommendations are still valid and elusive today. Only when the general public accepts the need to protect the environment will things change. That is why this book should be required reading for all students.

still relevant after 50 years

Rachel Carson, a scientist by trade, writes beautifully about the ocean in this book; it was worthy of the National Book Award, which it won in 1951. Carson takes the time to describe generally what was known about the sea at the time of her writing, and is prophetic in her comments about human impact to the world's oceans. While providing the reader with a general scientific discussion of the sea, she also gives us some magical moments: questions about the lost continent of Atlantis, mysteries about the nature of the deepest ocean bottoms, descriptions of lumninescent creatures surfacing in the remotest areas of open ocean. This book is simultaneously great science and great literature, and is essential reading for anyone interested in marine biology or geology, even decades since its original publication.